All India Tennis Association (AITA) on Saturday ignored Rohan Bopanna’s request and picked the tennis doyen, Leander Paes as his doubles partner for the Rio Olympics. Bopanna will also partner Sania Mirza for the mixed doubles. Sania will partner Prarthana Thombare in women’s doubles. The pair had won a Bronze medal at Asiad 2014.

Few days before, 36-year-old Bopanna requested AITA for pairing him with Saketh Myneni for the Olympics. However, doubles specialist Leander Paes’ dreams of playing in a record seventh straight Olympics came true after he was named with Bopanna as the Indian men’s doubles team in Rio Olympics.

In a media conference, Anil Khanna, AITA president, said “Rohan Bopanna respects Paes, he has given us his reasons why he would prefer Saket Myneni.”